Would YOU pay $400 for a pineapple? Ultra rare pink fruit is sold for whopping price in California store

A produce distributor based in California is selling an ultra-rare newly created species of pineapple with a shocking price tag.

The Rubyglow pineapple is being exclusively sold at Melissa's Produce for a whopping $395. 

The fruit, first unveiled in China, was created by Fresh Del Monte and boasts a pinkish-red skin with the same yellow inside that pineapples are known for having.

Only 5,000 of these special pineapples are being produced this year, with just 3,000 of them projected to be grown for 2025, according to a press release. The limited supply is the main driver of the exorbitantly high price. 

Del Monte is marketing this product by talking about the '16 years of research' it took to create this new fruit and how it was conceived through traditional 'cross breeding techniques.'

But its main strategy is to harp away comparing the exterior to a ruby, a scarce gem. 

Del Monte's strategy to market the fruit is to compare the exterior to a ruby to hopefully get the attention of rich consumers

Pictured: The box the Rubyglow pineapple comes in, as well as a shot of the interior of the fruit

It may seem like the most inopportune time for a company to try selling a fruit that can cost as little as $2 for nearly $400, especially when inflation is elevated in the US and continues to eat away at Americans' grocery budgets.

Local outlet KTLA noted that the Rubyglow costs nearly $100 more than the average California household spends on groceries. 

A study found that California families spend the most on food in the entire country. 

Americans could certainly buy lots of things with $400 instead of a single pineapple. 

They could buy roughly 111 gallons of gas for their car based on average prices. 

People could buy a month's membership to a luxury Equinox gym - which can be as much as $300 in cities like New York - for cheaper than the single exotic fruit. 

Instead of buying the pink pineapple for $395, people living in California could buy a total of 77 McDonald's Big Macs instead, costing an average of $5.11 each. 

In fact, people could buy a $314 plane ticket from Los Angeles to Costa Rica - where the Rubyglow pineapple is grown - for less money than the specialty fruit itself. 

The Rubyglow pineapple, recently created by Fresh Del Monte. It costs $395 plus shipping

View of containers carrying pink pineapples at Del Monte Fresh company plant in Buenos Aires, Puntarenas province, Costa Rica, on March 16, 2023

But experts say that this pineapple and specialty fruit in general isn't really for the average American. It appears to be for a new echelon of high-end consumers. 

'Consumers are willing to pay for something that's special,' Cindy van Rijswick, a fresh produce strategist for Rabobank's global research team, told CNN.

When it comes to specialty produce like the Rubyglow pineapple, she said, 'there's always a small market for higher-end restaurants, or foodies, or certain online channels.'

Rubyglow pineapples certainly aren't the first specialty fruit to be brought to market. 

Honeycrisp apples came out over 30 years ago, and despite being more expensive than say a McIntosh or a Red Delicious, there's still a demand for them.

Pinkglow pineapples, created by Del Monte in 2020, debuted in stores across the US and were popular for its pink inside

Pinkglow pineapples used to cost $50 but have come way down in price, which could mean further price cuts for the Rubyglow pineapple are possible years down the line

There are also Cotton Candy grapes, Sumo Citrus and vertically-grown Japanese strawberries, which all cost more than their standard counterparts. 

Del Monte has also come up with a different pineapple called the Pinkglow. As the name suggests, the fruit has pink flesh. 

It was launched in 2020 and not meant to be a daily purchase, according to Melissa Mackay, Del Monte's VP of marketing in North America.

'It's a hostess gift, it's a Mother's Day gift,' Mackay told CNN.

Initially, the Pinkglow was sold for around $50, but shoppers can now get it between $8 and $29.  

The Rubyglow pineapple is only available in the US and China currently, but residents of other countries can sign up to receive the fruit in the future if they join a waiting list.